The Bearer

My name is Emily Stevens, I'm 18 years old, and I'm special. No, I can't raise the dead, travel back in time, or read minds. But I have something that was common in the past, but today, in the year 2100, women like me are hunted, searched, dug out of the ashes of what is left of our planet. I can get pregnant and bear a child. I am Emily Stevens, and this is my story. CHAPTER 1 Knock, knock, knock. I knew it was my father even before the knocking. Anyone who doesn't know the members of their family based on how they walk up the stairs is probably deaf. "Emily, Emily. Are you ready?" Ready?! READY?! NO, do you hear?! No! I'm not ready?! "Emily? If you won't make yourself heard right away, I'm going to kick the door down." Oh, yes, of course, he didn't ask if I was mentally ready, if I could handle it. He wants to know if I'm adequately made up and dressed. "I'm coming," I get up from the dressing table and head for the door to unlock it. The weight of the white wedding dress I am wearing, even though it severely restricts my movement, is nothing compared to the weight of the future I face. The future? No future. My life has been four years already. Life. Is there a name for the state when a person is breathing, all his organs are working and his body is in ideal condition to live, but his mind is not working? But that's not true either. I think. I think. But I don't live. I don't decide about myself, my wardrobe, where I go, what I do, who I meet. I live. But not my life. I'm like in a waking coma in my own body controlled by someone else. Will it ever change? And if not, how much more can I take? How much longer can I last like this? And what happens when...when I fulfill my mission in this marriage? What if I crash before I complete my duty? And will they even care? After all, they don't need me, my body is enough for them. I open the door and look into the face of my father, obviously already nervous. He controls me, and yet his entire future depends on me and not the other way around. It is enough to say the word "no" today and his life is in ruins. But not only his, but also my sister's, mother's,...Oh, mom...and along with them, mine. What would my life be like then? The life of a bearer? One thing is certain, whatever decision I make today, not a single decision will turn back time. My life will never resemble my life four years ago. 4 years ago In Sunlight, one of the most lucrative districts of the Earth - where you can still see the sun and the stars when they shine - it was teeming with people. However, not by the residents of this quarter, but by the servants who worked as quietly as possible to fulfill their duties. From preparing breakfast, to taking care of pets, to sharing the latest - mostly spicy - information from the lives of their superiors.